1. Field of the Invention
The present invention belonging to a contents distribution technical field, more particularly, relates to a contents distribution system which, being configured of a plurality of node apparatus disposed dispersed in a network, carries out a transmission and reception of contents data among the node apparatus, the node apparatus, and an information processing method thereof, as well as a recording medium on which a program thereof is recorded.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a so-called contents distribution system, which distributes contents data such as music, a movie, or a talk program (hereafter also called “contents”), via a network such as an internet, has been an active area of research.
As a basic configuration of the heretofore known contents distribution system, there is a server-client type of distribution system. The server-client type of distribution system is of a configuration wherein a terminal apparatus, which is a client, accesses a server which accumulates contents, and receives a distribution of the contents.
However, with this kind of distribution system, there is a disadvantage in that accesses from terminal apparatus concentrate in a server apparatus which has specific popular contents, making it difficult to obtain, and view or listen to, desired contents without stress and at a high quality, in terminal apparatus of a plurality of users desiring a distribution of the contents.
Therein, a technology has been proposed for efficiently distributing and disposing information, achieving a load distribution, by logically constructing an overlay network using a distributed hash table (DHT).
In this system, each node apparatus which is a terminal apparatus, rather than recognizing link information (for example, an IP address) for all node apparatus participating in the overlay network, holds only link information for one portion of the node apparatus acquired when participating, or the like, and makes an inquiry, or the like, for data, based on such link information.
It being necessary, in the overlay network, that the load distribution is appropriately carried out even in the event that a participation and withdrawal (leaving) of the node apparatus take place frequently, a technology for appropriately carrying out the load distribution in the overlay network, even in the event that the participation and withdrawal (leaving) of the node apparatus take place frequently, is disclosed in non-patent document 1: “Discussion of Distributed Hash Table Light Load Distribution Method”, Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, Communications Technology IN2003-189, February, 2004.